Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence

Health Place 2009 Mar;15(1):18-24. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.02.001. Epub 2008 Feb 12.

Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence

Raymond F. Palmer, Stephen Blanchard, Robert Wood

University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio Department of Family and Community Medicine, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio Texas, Chair, Department of Sociology

This study should be viewed as hypothesis-generating – a first step in examining the potential role of environmental mercury and childhood developmental disorders. Nothing is known about specific exposure routes, dosage, timing, and individual susceptibility. We suspect that persistent low-dose exposures to various environmental toxicants, including mercury, that occur during critical windows of neural development among genetically susceptible children (with a diminished capacity for metabolizing accumulated toxicants) may increase the risk for developmental disorders such as autism. Successfully identifying the specific combination of environmental exposures and genetic susceptibilities can inform the development of targeted prevention intervention strategies.